The Deep End
by Peace Flower
Summary: The younger Digidestined excluding Ken go to the city pool for a break. Somethng bad happens, but it has a happy ending. My first fic ever. Hints of Takari. A Daiyako.
1. The Bright And Deadly Pool

*Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, or any of its characters. I also do not own, nor do I have permission to use any of the artists' names or songs used in this fic.

  


The Deep End

  


**Chapter One:** The Bright And Deadly Pool

It was a typical summer day; the temperature was well above eighty degrees, which was apparent from the heat devils rising from the concrete on the sidewalk. The sound of someone's radio, and the smell of hot dogs and hamburgers filled the air. The younger Digidestined, Kari, TK, Yolei, Davis, and Cody, and their Digimon, had all planned to spend the afternoon at the pool, in light of Yolei's suggestion that they take a break from their usual daily objective of saving the Digital World.

* * *

"Thanks for the ride, Mom," Kari said as the kids hopped out of the Kamiya's car.

"No problem," Mrs. Kamiya said, "I know the pool isn't that far, but I wouldn't want you kids walking three miles in this heat, especially with that cooler. Besides, I need to stop by the store anyway, it's only a few blocks from here."

"Okay, bye Mom," Kari replied, after helping the others pull the large cooler out of the trunk. When they had everything out of the car, Kari's mother drove off with a wave as the four other kids simultaneously called after the car in singsong voices, "Thanks Mrs. Kamiya...bye."

The five Digidestined started for the showers, when the cooler started bouncing and shaking uncontrollably. Out popped Veemon, followed by Patamon.

"Is it safe for us to come out yet?" asked Veemon.

"No," said Davis, "you're supposed to stay in there 'til we say you can come out, okay?"

"Why?" Patamon inquired, "I don't see anybody." As if on cue, two women in bikinis came strolling by.

"Duck down!" TK ordered, as he pushed the two Digimon back into the cooler.

"...And then he says, 'I'm sorry, I just can't love a sea horse.' Isn't that disgusting?" the taller of the two women said as they obliviously continued walking past the wary adolescents.

"Whew..." the five said as they breathed out sighs of relief.

"See, that's why we don't want you coming out," said TK, talking to the cooler. "When we finish changing, we'll come get you guys and bring you over to the kiddie pool."

"Aw man, I wanna do a cannonball dive, and they won't let you over at the kiddie pool," Veemon whined from inside the large box.

"Well, remember if you stay with us, you'll have to pretend to be pool toys. You know the big pool is always the most crowded," Cody retorted.

"Yeah," said Yolei, "if you want to swim by yourselves, you'll have to go over to the kiddie pool. It's the only one they close if there's no lifeguard on duty."

"Why isn't the lifeguard here today, Yolei?" Kari asked. "Isn't she a good friend of Momoe's?"

"Yeah, Momoe has Yagumi and Jun over to our house all the time. But, they all went shopping today so they could have something cool to wear to the grand opening of that new store in the mall," Yolei answered.

"That's just like my crazy sister," said Davis, "buying new clothes just so she can go shop for more. But, back to what we were saying...do you guys want to swim or just pretend to be pool toys?" Davis said, looking at the now five digimon that were hanging out of the cooler.

"I'll take the kiddie pool," said Armadillomon. "I didn't come here just to float."

"Same here," said Veemon.

"I'll just stay with Kari," Gatomon replied, "cats don't like getting their fur wet anyway."

"And I'll stay with TK," Patamon said.

"Hawkmon, are you gonna stay with me, or go with them?" asked Yolei.

"I thoroughly enjoy your company, Yolei," Hawkmon replied, "but it has been a while since I've been able to work on my backstroke. I think I'll join Veemon and Armadillomon in the children's pool."

"It's _kiddie pool_," Davis announced, "there's a difference." TK and Kari gave each other questioning looks and Yolei rolled her eyes, causing Cody to snicker.

"What?" Davis asked. The others headed toward the showers to change, with Davis following. "What?" he asked again.

  
  


The three Destined boys stepped out of the dark enclosure of the changing area and into the sunlight. "C'mon TM, let's go sneak our Digimon over to the kiddie pool...last one there's a pile of digi-sludge!" the maroon-haired boy yelled as he ran off toward the entrance of the city pool.

"Man, Patamon's not even gonna swim, but I'll go with him," TK said to himself, sprinting off after Davis with Cody on his heels.

"So, do you like my new bathing suit, Kari?" Yolei asked as she and Kari stepped out of the girl's changing area. She struck a pose in front of the brown-haired girl, throwing her head back, causing her long lavender hair to whip around. She wore a white one-piece bathing suit with metallic silver-colored starbursts on each hip, matching flip-flops, and a silver-colored bow in her hair.

"It's really pretty, and it looks good on you, too," Kari supplied. "What do you think of mine?"

"Oh, it's really flattering, I bet TK will like it," Yolei said with a wink. Kari blushed a little before Yolei added, "Davis, is probably gonna pass out when he sees you."

Kari's suit was a sporty pink and green two-piece with boy-cut shorts and a tank top. She wore black flip-flops with pink cats all over them. She waved off Yolei's comment and pointed towards the swimming area, "It's too hot to wait for the guys, let's just get to the water."

The girls walked over to the Olympic-sized swimming pool, which was accurately nicknamed, the Big Pool. The sun shone brightly on the aquamarine water, causing the pale liquid to sparkle. Heat and humidity in the air made the water instantly attractive. The two girls were amazed to see that the pool, which was usually filled to maximum capacity, was relatively empty. Only the two women they had previously seen and three college-age students had decided to visit the municipal pool that day.

"Wow, we get the pool all to ourselves," Yolei commented, surveying the poolside, "or almost."

"Great," Kari said brightly, "we'll actually be able to spread out our towels this time." Kari laid her towel down on the concrete and strode over to the diving board. She walked out onto the stiff board and prepared to jump when she caught sight of the boys heading towards them. All of them were wet, and TK carried Patamon on his head and Gatomon in his arms. Kari waved them over.

All three boys stopped when they were close enough to see the girls well. "Wow, Kari looks great," Davis said.

"Yeah, so does Yolei," TK acknowledged. Cody nodded in agreement. Patamon and Gatomon exchanged glances.

"Yeah, I guess they both look okay," Davis shrugged, walking towards the purple-haired girl.

"You guys didn't wait for us?" Davis called, looking from Yolei, who already had stuck her feet into the cool water, to Kari on the diving board.

"We would have, but you were taking too long, and it's so hot," Yolei replied. She then lowered her voice, "Are the Digimon at the other pool?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," Cody said, "that's why we're already wet. Armadillomon and Veemon kept cannonballing us. They said it was payback for making them stay in the cooler."

"I told Veemon he better quit trying to break my record, or I'd never take him swimming again," said Davis. "I mean, I am the Cannonball King after all."

Yolei looked unimpressed and retorted, "Well, you better not splash me if you know what's good for you, Davis Motimiya."

Cody, TK, and Davis exchanged glances. Davis replied with a big grin, "I guess I just don't know what's good for me." And with that, he took a running leap and landed in the pool with a giant **SPLASH!**

"EEEEEEEKKKKKK!" Yolei, along with the two women in bikinis, shrieked as a huge wave of liquid showered them. "Davis! What is your problem!?" Yolei shouted, reaching up to her hair. It had been styled in a ponytail, but the force of the wave caused her bow to come out, letting her hair fall loose around her shoulders.

"Aw, c'mon Yolei," the boy said, adjusting his goggles while floating on his back, "you came here to get wet, didn't you?"

"That's not the point, I didn't ask to be splashed! Besides, you know you're not allowed to do that, and you got them wet too," she said, pointing toward the now angry-looking women. Yolei heard the sound of giggling and turned to see Cody, Patamon, and TK all trying to look as nonchalant as possible. She stood, picking up her bow with an exasperated sigh, and headed toward the front of the pool where Kari was now sitting, adding over her shoulder, "Boys are so dumb sometimes, especially ones named Davis."

"Hey, what did I do?" the redhead asked, "I only splashed her, you guys were the ones laughing," he finished.

The boys and Digimon both laughed again and Cody replied, "She's probably just mad because you got her hair wet. You know she never swims without that swimming cap."

Patamon added, "Hawkmon told me, she doesn't even shower without a shower cap, unless she's washing her hair."

"I don't get why girls care so much about their hair," Davis said, "they act like the world's gonna end if their hair gets messed up. Besides, I think Yolei looks better with her hair down." TK and Cody raised their eyebrows at his last comment. "What?" Davis asked defensively, "I think most girls look better with their hair down."

"Sure," Cody said sarcastically.

"Look out, I'm coming in," TK said as he jumped into the deep crystal-colored water with Patamon still on his head. Cody followed suit, landing only a few inches from Davis' head.

"We _said_ look out," Cody said, responding to Davis' dirty looks.

"No you didn't, TA did," Davis remarked, "besides, I was doing a underwater somersault, I couldn't hear you."

"It's _an_ underwater somersault," Cody corrected.

Davis made another face. "Whatever," he said.

Gatomon headed over to where the girls were sitting. "I'll just stay here by the steps," she stated when she reached Kari.

Kari nodded and let her body slide into the pool, "C'mon Yolei, the water feels great."

Yolei shook her head, "I can't find my swimming cap."

"So," the brunette said, "you're already soaked after what Davis did."

"That's true," Yolei acknowledged, "I might as well." She walked down the steps of the pool and left Gatomon on Kari's giant beach towel. "What on earth are they doing?" Yolei asked, pointing in the boys' direction.

TK and Cody were racing from one side of the pool to the other without using their arms to swim, Patamon was floating on his back, and Davis was doing what looked like deformed jumping jacks to the rhythm of the car radio they had heard when they first arrived, which was now playing _Smashing Young Man_ by Collective Soul.

Kari shrugged. "I think Cody and TK are racing. I have no idea what Davis is doing."

"Why aren't they using their arms?" Yolei asked.

"I don't know, that's just the way he and Matt used to do it."

"Oh...okay," said Yolei. "Hey Davis!" she yelled, "Is that some new kind of dance?"

Davis became aware that he was being observed and stopped suddenly. "No," he said. "It's synchronized swimming...duh."

Kari and Yolei gave each other confused looks. "My fault for asking!" Yolei called back.

"Well, anyway," she began, "Kari, I wanted to ask you something...if you liked a guy, but you kinda liked two other guys, but the first guy is more your type, but you think one of the other guys might like you, who would you go out with?"

Kari thought about the question for a moment or two, then looked confused and replied, "I don't know. I haven't ever liked that many people at once."

"Really?" Yolei asked incredulously, "You don't like anyone other than TK?"

Kari blushed again and shrugged, "I don't really think about guys that much in a romantic way."

Yolei sighed. "I wish it were that easy for me. I can't even help it. If a guy is really nice, or cute, or funny, or something, I find myself thinking about him. It's like how Jun used to chase Matt around all the time. I mean, I would never chase a guy around, but sometimes..." Yolei trailed off.

"Um, well, if it was me, I guess I would just go out with the one I liked best." Kari said.

"But that's the problem, I don't know who I like best."

"Well, which one likes you?"

"I don't really know that either."

"Oh." Kari tried to think of something to say when she heard TK call her name. The two girls turned to see TK swimming toward them.

"Hey, you guys," TK said, "Davis says he's hungry. I'm a little hungry too, and I'm sure the Digimon are. So I was gonna run over to that hot dog place across the street. Is there anything you want?"

Yolei nodded, "Oh yeah, thanks TK. I'd like one of those dachshund dogs. I still think it's funny that they name them after real dogs."

TK nodded in agreement, "I know, Gabumon still won't eat any because of that. Kari, Gatomon, do you guys want anything?" he asked.

"Um, just a naked dog," Kari said.

"Me too," added Gatomon.

"Okay, well, I'll go get the rest of the Digimon's orders," he said. The blonde boy lifted himself out of the water and headed over towards the kiddie pool.

"Anyway, where were we?" Yolei asked. "Oh, I remember, you were going to give me advice about my guy dilemma. So, what do you think I should do?"

Kari was about to respond, when again her thoughts were interrupted, this time by Davis.

"Hey, look at this, Kari!" he called. He was standing on the adjacent diving board, which was a few feet higher off the ground than the one the girls were by, and jumped off spread eagle. When he landed in the pool, the water splashed even higher than his previous attempt. "Cool, huh?" he said.

"I'm just glad we're not over there," Kari said, while giving him the thumbs up sign.

Yolei looked annoyed. "Kari, don't encourage him," she said, "he's only doing that stuff to impress you."

Kari nodded, "I know, but if I don't say anything, it'll hurt his feelings. Believe me, I know, Tai's always doing crazy stuff like that too, except he usually does it to impress his friends."

Yolei rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I guess," she said. "but, that's exactly the kind of thing I hate about Davis. He's always trying so hard to impress you. And he usually just makes a fool of himself. It's so embarrassing."

"He's not that bad to me. I guess you just feel different when Tai is your older brother."

"He's that bad to them, though," Yolei said, pointing to the women again. They were looking even more irritated this time because Davis had managed to splash both their towels, and the picnic basket they had brought with them. They obviously had had enough of Davis' antics because they were gathering up their things and heading towards the smaller, less popular pool.

"Wow, I guess he did make them mad," Kari said, "although they aren't supposed to have food in the swimming area."

"Yeah, that's true," Yolei agreed, "it is kind of their fault."

Davis got out of the pool and walked over to where the girls were. "What'cha doin'?" he asked.

"Just talking," Yolei supplied.

"Where's Cody?" Kari asked, "He was there a minute ago."

"He went to check on Armadillomon," Davis said. He sat down on the diving board. "So, what are you talking about?" he inquired.

"Just girl stuff," Yolei answered.

"What girl stuff?" Davis persisted.

"Just stuff," Yolei answered. "You know, stuff that girls talk about. Like boy stuff, except different."

Davis shook his head, "Guy stuff is way different than girl stuff. 'Guy stuff' is usually cool stuff like cars, and soccer, and Digimon, but 'girl stuff' is just about who you like and stuff."

"No, it's not," Yolei protested.

"Uh huh," Davis insisted, "the only time Jun talks about 'girl stuff' is when she's talking about some guy."

"Well, that's her, but I'm not Jun," Yolei replied indignantly.

"But you do act like her," Davis said.

"No I don't," Yolei said defensively.

"Yes, you do," he said.

"No, I don't," Yolei said again.

"Yes, you do," he taunted.

"No, I do not," Yolei declared.

"Were you talking about some guy you like?" he asked.

"No, I wasn't, for your information," she said.

"Really?" Davis pried.

"No!" she cried.

Davis thought hard about her answer, then asked, "Were you talking about _guys_ you like, then?"

Yolei looked flustered and blushed profusely. "It's none of your business what I was talking about, Davis. Just leave me alone."

"Why?" he asked, "were you talking about me?"

"No way!" Yolei cried. "Why would I talk about you if I was talking about guys I like?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said, "maybe because you like me. But anyway, you were talking about a guy you like, right?"

Yolei stood up and grabbed Kari by the wrist. "C'mon, Kari," she said, "we don't need this kind of aggravation." She stormed off, dragging a bewildered Kari along.

"C'mon," Davis yelled after the girls, "I can keep a secret! Well, at least tell me who Kari likes!"

"Man," Davis said aloud after they disappeared into the girls' bathroom. "I was just teasing. Why can't she take a joke?"

Gatomon looked up from where she was sitting. "Are you asking me?" she wondered.

"I wasn't," he said, "but if you know why, can you tell me?"

"Well, I don't know, but I can find out, if you want," the Digimon replied with a wink.

Davis visibly brightened, "Sure, thanks Gatomon," he said.

"No problem," she said and ran off in the direction the girls had just went.

Davis stood up on the diving board and looked around. Except for the college kids that were still relaxing over by their section of the pool, it was completely deserted.

'I wish Ken could've come,' he thought, 'I'm sure his cousin wouldn't have cared that much if he hadn't have come to her wedding. I mean it's not even like he knows her that well. When I get married, I won't make people come to _my_ wedding if they don't want to. Man, where's TP with our hot-dogs...I'm starving.'

"Oh well," he said aloud, "might as well stay cool." Davis stepped back into the water and began floating on his back, listening to the music that wafted through the air. It was now Collective Soul's _Forgiveness_. He kicked his legs to propel himself.

'Man, I'm hungry,' he thought again. He remembered his mother saying something about a watched pot never boiling, and even though he didn't quite understand why she said that, he knew it meant that thinking about something always seemed to make it take longer. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something other than his stomach. 'Underwater somersault,' he thought. He jerked his body backwards, spinning around in the water. 'Whoa,' he thought, 'it's even cooler with my eyes closed.' He spun around once more, not realizing he was drifting closer and closer to the cement steps of the pool. 'I bet if I spin hard enough, I can do two' he thought, throwing his body back as hard as possible, 'after this, I'll go see what Veemon is doing.'

As soon as he finished that thought, his head made contact with the hard steps. Instinctively, he tried to yell out, but sucked up a large amount of water instead. He choked and immediately started coughing, allowing more water to enter his airway. He stretched his feet out, feeling for the pool wall. Not able to make contact with the hard surface, he frantically swam in the direction he perceived to be up, still coughing and inhaling more water. 'I'm going to die,' he thought, 'I have to get to the top.' His stroke became more desperate and less defined, as his body became weaker. He opened his eyes only to find he had been swimming farther out into the pool, instead of up. Panic-stricken, Davis desperately tried to pull himself up to the surface, sucking up more and more water as he swam. He felt as if lead weights were tied to his feet. He started feeling dizzy from the loss of oxygen. 'I don't want to die like this,' he thought, 'somebody help me!' He felt his body go numb as he started to lose consciousness. 'Please, help me,' he thought.

  
  


Gatomon headed back to the Big Pool after having eavesdropped on the girls' conversation. 'I can't wait to tell Davis what I heard Yolei say,' she thought to herself. She stopped when she got to the edge of the swimming pool. 'Where did he go?' she wondered. Then, she looked out into the pool and saw him. 'I guess he's just holding his breath or something weird like that,' she thought. But something didn't look right. He was completely motionless and his eyes were closed. He didn't even look...alive. "Da-," Gatomon began, but she remembered the college kids, who were now eating hamburgers by the side of the pool. 'I better get Kari,' she thought. She ran back towards the women's bathroom to get help. When she reached the door, she pounded on it as hard as she could. "Kari!" she yelled, "you better get out here! I think Davis might be drowning!"

The door opened and both Digidestined girls stepped out.

"What did you say, Gatomon?" Yolei asked.

"I said, I think Davis is drowning. He needs help."

"Oh my goodness," Kari said, as she sprinted off towards the swimming area. Yolei and Gatomon sped off after her. When they reached the water, Davis was the same as when Gatomon had left him.

"Oh my gosh," Yolei said almost inaudibly. She saw the three college kids still eating and laughing and wondered why they hadn't done something.

"We have to save him," Kari said, jumping into the water. She swam over to the maroon-haired boy, and locked one arm around his waist. Then, using the other arm to paddle, she awkwardly swam back to the nearest edge. When she reached it, Yolei grabbed the boy, and with Kari's help, pulled him out of the pool. Yolei stretched him out on the ground while Kari lifted herself out of the pool.

"Is he alive?" Kari asked, while the lavender-haired girl felt for a pulse.

"He's still got a pulse," Yolei replied, rising to her feet.

"We've gotta call an ambulance!" Kari said. 

Yolei just stood over him, frozen.

"Yolei, did you hear me?" Kari asked. "Yolei?"

"Yolei?" she asked again. When the girl didn't respond, Kari shook her by the shoulders. "Yolei!" she cried.

Yolei snapped out of her trance, looking Kari in the face. Then, she looked at Davis and immediately took action.

"Kari, I'm licensed to give first aid," she said in an unnaturally even tone. "You go call for an ambulance; Gatomon, go get TK and Cody."

"Okay," they both said.

Yolei bent down and checked his airway. "Clear," she said to herself. She tilted his head back, put her mouth over his, and gave two short breaths. Right away, however, she felt resistance. 'It's all the water in his lungs,' she thought, 'what did they say to do if you can't any air in? I don't remember.'

Kari came back then. "The pay phone isn't working," she said, 'what should I do?"

"Ask them if they have a cell phone," Yolei said, pointing to the three students. Kari ran over to them and pleaded, "Does anyone have a cell phone I can use? My friend is dying and we need to call for an ambulance."

The three looked shocked. "That redhead kid?" one with orange hair asked.

"Yes," Kari said anxiously. 

"I thought he was just goofin' off again. Sure, you can use mine," he responded.

Kari thanked him, took the phone, and called. The college students were now more interested in the rescue effort, however, than their pool games. They walked over to where Davis was lain.

'What do I do?' Yolei thought, starting to panic. "Oh, I remember, the Heimlich," she said aloud. She straddled the boys legs and positioned her hands below his ribs.

"Is he okay?" the orange haired guy asked.

"No," Yolei said.

"What are you doing?" the girl asked, watching Yolei thrust the ridge of her palm into the boy's abdomen.

"I'm giving him the Heimlich maneuver," she answered.

"Why, I thought he drowned?" the girl asked.

"Because that's what you're supposed to do," Yolei said.

"Why?" the blue-haired guy with them asked.

"Because that's the only way to get the water out of his lungs!" Yolei shouted.

"What's your problem?" the girl asked.

"My problem is that my friend is dying, that stupid ambulance hasn't come, you keep asking me **stupid** questions, and all this wouldn't have happened if you would have paid more attention to him!" 

"Whoa, it's not our fault that your friend is hurt. I mean, we're sorry, I let your other friend use my cell phone," the orange-haired guy said, "but, we aren't lifeguards or anything. It's not like it's our job to watch little kids that come to this pool."

Yolei bent down over Davis, felt his pulse, then gave him two more breaths. "Dang it!" she said out loud, "Air's still not getting in!" She turned to face the group, "Just get away from me!" she said, getting back into position to administer the Heimlich maneuver.

"We should leave her alone," the blue-haired guy said, "she's just really stressed. I know. My little brother almost died once because he ate something poisonous, and I was _really_ freaking out."

"Okay, Lee," the orange-haired guy said. He and the girl walked out of sight.

Lee stayed there. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

"No," Yolei said, "but thanks."

"For what?" he asked.

"For getting your friends to quit," she said.

Lee stood back a few feet to give Yolei room. During the last two abdominal thrusts, she watched to see if it was having any effect. Slowly, a small amount of water began running out of the boy's mouth.

'Oh, thank goodness,' she thought. 'Just don't give up, Davis.' She bent down once more to feel for his pulse. 'It's weaker now,' she thought. "C'mon Davis, you can't give up," she said, "I'm not through being mad at you." She gave him two more breaths, but this time, there was less resistance.

"Did his chest rise when I gave him air?" Yolei asked Lee.

"A little," he said.

'Yes!' Yolei thought, 'just hang on, Davis.'

Just then, TK, Patamon, Kari, Cody, and Gatomon ran up.

"The ambulance is on it's way," Kari informed Yolei.

"Okay," she said.

She got back into position and gave him ten more abdominal thrusts. Everyone looked on in silence. This time large amounts of water began to flow from the boy's mouth. Yolei turned his head to let the liquid flow more freely. She felt his pulse again.

"It's still weak," she said. She tilted his head back once more and again, gave him two quick breaths. This time there was a lot less resistance. She looked up at the spectators and asked again, "Just now, did his chest rise?"

They all nodded.

"Good," she said. She looked at her watch to check the time. It had only been four minutes since she had started rescue breathing. 'Only four minutes,' she thought, 'it seemed like an eternity.' She listened for the sound of him breathing, but there was nothing. She checked his pulse again, and noticed it wasn't any stronger, and had slowed.

"C'mon Davis, wake up!" she ordered. She bent over him covered his mouth with her own. Before she could get one breath into him, Kari shouted.

"He's moving!" she said.

The announcement wasn't necessary, Yolei could feel his lifeless body suddenly stir. She sat up and looked down at him. His face momentarily tensed up, then he started coughing up large amounts of water. Instinctively, he sat up to keep from choking. Successively, his coughs became deeper and more forceful. Soon, he stopped coughing altogether and began to vomit, causing his whole body to reel over. Yolei steadied him by putting her left hand on his shoulder. Davis grabbed hold of her right. The rest of the Digidestined, and Lee, all looked on, slightly paralyzed from the whole situation. _Needs,_ by Collective Soul, was still playing on the now forgotten car radio. The music was soon overwhelmed by sirens, and TK and Patamon ran towards the entrance of the pool to show the paramedics where the emergency was.

Davis finally stopped gagging, just sitting still for a moment. His throat was so raw from coughing, he could barely speak. But, he turned to Yolei with tears in his eyes and whispered, "You saved my life, Yolei. Thank you."

The crowd let out a collective sigh of relief.

Yolei cried.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Whew! That was tough. But, I think it's pretty good. There are only two things I really want to say:  
**#1** is that I don't hate Davis. He's actually one of my favorite characters, but, it was sorta necessary for him to get hurt in this fic. **#2** is that Davis' accident is based on a true story. I hit my head on the steps in a pool once, the same way he did. Luckily, it was much smaller, so I didn't drown. I just sucked up a lot of water and felt sick for a couple of days. The second chapter might be a bit OOC, but I'll try to keep everyone in char. Well anyway, reviews are very much appreciated.


	2. Maybe You

Disclaimer: I _still_ do not own Digimon, or any of its characters. Nor do I own, or have permission to use any of the artists' names or songs used in this fic.

  


The Deep End

  


**Chapter Two:** Maybe You

Yolei lay on her bed, thinking about what had happened the previous day at the pool. In the background, Richard Ashcroft quietly sang as _C'mon People (We're Making It Now)_ played on her clock radio. 'I still can't believe he almost...' she thought, not able to bring herself to think the word. 'What if Gatomon hadn't have seen him.' She remembered Davis floating lifelessly in the pool, and shuddered. 'We should've been there. I shouldn't have gotten so angry with him. But, Davis isn't a baby. He's not helpless. In fact, he's one of the strongest guys I know. I can't believe something like that could happen to him.'

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" she asked, knowing it must have been one of her parents, because they were the only ones in the house who ever knocked before entering.

"Yolei, one of your friends is here to see you," her dad said through the thick wood.

"Oh, who?" she questioned.

"Um, that blue-haired kid, what's his name?" her dad inquired.

"You mean, Ken?" Yolei wondered.

"Yeah, him. He wants to talk to you. He says it's important."

"Okay. I'll be there in a minute," she responded.

'I thought he went to see his cousin in Spain,' she thought, 'I guess they must have gotten back early.'

When she answered the door, Ken was standing with his back to her, watching a wind chime flutter in the light breeze. "Hi, Ken," she said.

He turned around to face her. "Hi, Yolei," he replied.

"I thought you were on a trip."

"Oh, I was, but my cousin's fiance got severe food poisoning the day before the wedding."

"Oh, that's terrible," she said.

"I know, he will get out of the hospital in a few days, but it pretty much ruined the wedding."

Mention of the word _hospital,_ reminded Yolei that Ken probably hadn't heard about Davis' accident. "Um, Ken, something happened to Davis yesterday..." she began.

"I know," he said.

Yolei looked surprised by this. "How?" she asked.

"Well, my parents and I got back to Japan last night. I tried to call Davis, to tell him what happened with the wedding, but I couldn't reach him. So, I called TK and he told me what happened."

"Oh," Yolei said, "have you gone to see him yet?"

"Yes, that's actually why I'm here. He wants you to come see him."

Yolei looked embarrassed and lowered her gaze. "I was planning to, but...um...I knew that everyone else would be there, and, um, I..." Suddenly, she felt extremely uncomfortable. 'You _should_ go see him,' she told herself, 'it's just rude not to. Besides, you _want_ to see him. But...I feel so weird about everything now,' she thought, 'every time I think about what happened, I feel really strange.'

"He could use the company." Ken said, breaking her train of thought. "When I last spoke to him, he said he was really bored; besides, he has something he wants to tell you."

The girl looked up. "He has something to tell me?" she asked.

The blue-haired boy nodded.

"What?" Yolei asked him.

"Well, for one thing, he wants to thank you."

"But, he already did," Yolei objected.

"That's not the only thing, though. He just wants to talk to you. Most people want to be near the people they care about after they've had a near-death experience, Yolei," he pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she acknowledged.

"So, are you going to go see him? You can ride with me, if you want," he offered. "My dad was going to take me over there anyway, after I talked to you.

"Yeah, sure," Yolei said. "Just let me tell my parents where I'm going." She left the door, and disappeared into the house. A couple of minutes later, she returned, holding a cloth shopping bag.

"All set?" Ken asked.

"Yep," she said.

"What's in the bag?" he asked, after they had gotten into his dad's car.

"Well, you said he was bored, so I thought I'd bring him some stuff."

"Oh." Ken said. The ride to the hospital took about fifteen minutes, so to pass the time, Ken told Yolei a little more about his cousin, her fiance, and Spain. As they pulled up in front of the large building, Ken and his father were relating to the girl how bad the plane ride back had been.

"...and then, the pilot actually said, and I quote, 'Don't worry, the worst thing that could happen if the turbulence gets too bad is we'd crash'," said Mr. Ichijouji.

"Wow, that _is_ a bad flight," remarked Yolei.

"Yeah, my Mom said we'll never fly with that airline again," Ken responded. He looked at his watch. "You'll pick us up in an hour and a half?" he asked his father.

"Sure," Ken's father responded.

"Thanks, dad," Ken said, getting out of the car and closing the door.

"Thanks," Yolei said.

"No problem," Mr. Ichijouji said. The two kids waved as the gray car drove off.

As they walked towards the entrance, Yolei unconsciously began biting her lip.

"Thinking about something?" Ken asked.

"Huh? Oh, just stupid stuff," she answered. 

Ken nodded. 

Once they were inside the large building, Ken led the way. They walked over to an elevator and waited for the doors to open. "His room is on the third floor," the boy explained. As soon as they got into the elevator and the doors closed, Yolei began biting her lip again. The two rode in silence as the elevator made it's way to the third floor. When the doors opened again, and they stepped out into the hall, Yolei realized why she had been so uncomfortable previously.

"He's in room 3112," Ken informed her. He noticed she had been biting her lip again and asked, "Are you nervous?"

"Um, no," she said. 'Is it that obvious?' she wondered. 'I hope I don't look nervous.'

Before they got to the door, a nurse stopped them. "You kids need any help?" she asked.

"No, we're just here to see a friend," Yolei supplied.

"Oh, you must be some more of Davis' friends," the woman said. "You know, he's one popular kid, five or six other people have already visited him today. Well, he's awake, so you can go right in."

They nodded, walked up to the door, and slowly turned the knob of Davis' hospital room. Davis was sitting up in bed playing solitaire. There was a machine against the wall that was monitoring his pulse and breathing. It was connected to a strange little red light attached to his index finger. When he heard the door open, the boy looked up to see who had come.

"Hi, Ken. Hi, Yolei," Davis said excitedly, "I'm glad you guys came." He noticed the bag Yolei was holding, and pointing towards it, he asked, "What's in that?"

"Oh, well, Ken said you were really bored, so I brought you some stuff," she said, observing his surroundings. She was surprised he looked so well, considering that he had nearly died only a day ago. He was still a bit hoarse, however.

"Cool. What?" he asked.

"See for yourself," she said, handing him the bag.

He eagerly took it and rummaged through it for a few seconds before bringing out some candy corn.

"Cool. Thanks Yolei," he said, opening the package immediately.

"I only got those for you because I know hospital food sucks." She motioned toward the bag, "There's more."

He reached in again and pulled out two CDs. "Whoa, you're gonna let me borrow your Cake CDs?" he asked in astonishment. "You never let me before, you said I'd scratch 'em up or something."

"Yeah, I know, but you really like them, and since you can't go home yet, I thought it might lift your spirits a little," she commented. "I also brought you my travel-sized Connect Four."

He looked into the bag once more and pulled the game out. "Thanks, Yolei," he said again, "you're the best."

_"She's_ the best," Ken said with mock jealousy, "I thought _I_ was your best friend."

Davis, looking sheepish, said, "Um, you are, but she's the best in a not-best-friend sorta way." Then, a solemn look suddenly covered his face. "Yolei," he began, "I want to thank you again for what you did. You saved my life. If you hadn't been there, I probably wouldn't be here now."

Yolei was shocked by the sudden seriousness of her usually carefree friend. "Um, it was nothing," she said quietly.

"Yeah, it was." Davis insisted, "You're a hero, Yolei."

The purple-haired girl looked embarrassed. "Don't say that. I'm not a hero," she mumbled.

Ken nodded, "It's true, Yolei. You are a hero."

"Well, I know you would have done the same for me," she said.

"Actually, I don't know CPR or any of that stuff," Davis said.

Yolei rolled her eyes. "Well, if you did, you would have saved me, right?" she asked.

"Of course," he agreed.

Just then, a knock sounded at the metal door, causing all three adolescents to turn towards it. "Come in," Davis called. The door opened only enough to allow the three to see the person's face. Yolei recognized him immediately, however.

"Lee?" she asked.

"Hi," he said, opening the door wider, "I just came to see how Davis is doing."

"He's doing great," Yolei supplied, "come on in."

"Um, Yolei, is this guy a friend of yours?" Davis asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Lee apologized, "I should have introduced myself to you first." He turned towards the redhead. "I'm Lee Sakai. I was at the pool yesterday, and-"

"He was really nice," Yolei cut in. "Remember those college students that we saw when we first came in? He's one of them, but he was a whole lot nicer than his friends. They were real losers."

"That's the other reason why I came. I want to apologize for them," Lee said, turning to Yolei. "They're both sorry for the way they acted yesterday, but they're too embarrassed to come tell you themselves."

Davis sat on the bed, still looking confused at the tall blue-haired teen. "So, he's not your friend, Yolei?" he asked.

"Um, sorta," she said. "I'll explain later."

"Hey, I just remembered, the nurse said your name is Davis Motimiya." Lee remarked suddenly.

"Yeah," Davis replied, narrowing his eyes, "so?"

"I just remembered, my friend's brother knows a guy by that name," Lee said.

"Really?" the maroon-haired boy grinned proudly, "I'm famous?"

Yolei rolled her eyes.

"What's your friend's name?" Ken asked.

"Jim," Lee answered. "Jim Kido."

"You mean, Jyou's brother?" Yolei questioned.

"Think so," Lee replied. "Is the Jyou you know a smart, nervous kid, who's allergic to almost everything?"

"Yeah," Davis, Yolei, and Ken said.

"That's the one," confirmed Lee.

"Cool," Davis said, with a mouthful of candy.

"So, your Jim's friend," Yolei remarked. "It is a small world after all."

"Yeah, I guess so," Lee responded. "Well, I'm just glad to see that both of you are feeling better," he continued, this time addressing Davis. "Last time I saw you, you were barely conscious, and your girlfriend was hyperventilating."

Davis looked confused. "Girlfriend?" he asked.

"Yolei," Lee answered.

Yolei and Davis exchanged looks. "We're not going out," they said simultaneously.

"Really?" Lee asked in disbelief. "Oh well, my mistake. You guys would be cute together, though. You act like an old married couple."

Davis almost choked on a candy corn in response. Yolei blushed.

"Hey, do any of you know where the vending machines are?" Lee asked, "I'm kinda thirsty. I don't think I've had anything to drink all day."

"I can show you," Ken offered.

"Thanks," the older boy replied.

The two blue-haired boys walked out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

Yolei looked confused. "We'd be cute together?"

Davis shrugged.

She continued pondering over what the teen had said. "We look like an old married couple? I wonder why he said that."

"How should I know?" Davis said. "He's your friend. You know, these things really get stuck in your teeth," he mentioned.

"Then, why do you like them so much?" Yolei asked distractedly. She was staring out of the only window in the small, air-conditioned room. The window was large, however, and allowed Yolei to see the entirety of the hospital's courtyard from her vantage point. She could see a couple sitting by the star-shaped fountain. They were listening to _Candyman_ by Vertical Horizon on a small boombox. 'It looks like a nice place to have a picnic,' she thought, 'except that this is a hospital.'

"Ca tha tas gah," Davis answered, picking the remains of the candy out of his molar.

"Huh?" the girl asked. When she turned around, she shot the boy a look of disgust. "Don't do that, Davis. It's disgusting."

He stopped. "Do what?" he asked.

"Pick your teeth, that's nasty," she replied.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized.

A momentary silence filled the room as Yolei walked over to the chair beside Davis' bed and sat down. She sighed, then reached into the bag of candy. "Funny, I get to share your saliva two days in a row," she remarked.

"What?" he asked.

"Yesterday, I had to give you mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and today I get to eat your spitty candy corn."

Davis gave her a look of confusion. "I didn't spit in these," he said.

"Maybe not, but you were picking your teeth just a little while ago, and you didn't wash your hands," she pointed out.

"Well, it's not like you have to eat them, you know," the boy said in an offended tone.

"I didn't mean it like that," Yolei said, realizing she had hurt his feelings. "It was a joke, okay? No offense." She sighed again. "Anyway, what exactly did you want to tell me?" she asked. "Not just that stuff about me being a hero, I hope."

Davis furrowed his brow in thought. He knew from a reliable source that Yolei found him attractive, and that she even had 'feelings' for him. He wasn't sure, however, if 'feelings' just meant a crush. For him, it didn't. A crush was more like what he had on Kari. Granted, it had been giant-sized, nevertheless, it was still a crush. And now, he was more aware of that than ever. After a moment of reflection, he spoke, his serious tone returning. "Um, well, I'm sorry for taking you for granted. I guess you just don't know how important someone is until you almost die..."

"I guess you're right." Yolei acknowledged. "You can't take nothing for granted," she said with a smile. She wanted to tell him how she felt, but somehow she couldn't think of the right words. 'What should I say?' she wondered. 'Davis, I was really upset when you almost died, and I hate it that you chase Kari around because I...no, that's stupid,' she thought. Yolei remembered the rest of the words to the ever popular song, _You gotta live life today..._ 'I guess that's right,' she thought, taking a deep breath. "Um, Davis, I'm...I'm sorry for taking you for granted, too," she stuttered, "when I saw you in the pool like that, I was so scared. I mean, you're like one of the bravest, strongest people I know, and to see you that way...I guess it's like you said. I never realized how much I cared about you until...I...I mean...I never realized that I lov-" The words seemed to get caught in her throat.

Davis stopped eating and looked at the lavender-haired girl expectantly.

Instead of answering, Yolei just blushed profusely. 'Why is this so hard?' she wondered. 'It's not like I've ever had a hard time voicing my feelings about a guy before.'

"You never realized you...?" Davis prodded.

"Um," she said, trying to muster up courage, "I never realized, I mean, I guess I did, but I didn't want to admit it because I wasn't sure how you felt about me, 'cause you're always talking about Kari and, well, I uh, I..."

Davis was still looking at her, which made her even more uncomfortable. He leaned closer. "You...love me, Yolei?" he asked quietly, as if they were sharing classified information in front of hundreds of onlookers.

The girl's eyes widened in surprise as she sat straight up. 'How does he know?' she thought. "I, um..."

"It's okay," Davis said blushing himself, "I know. I feel the same way. That's the other thing I was going to tell you."

Yolei felt a surge of emotion run through her entire body. A million different questions flooded her mind at once. How did he know? He felt the same way? Was he joking? The first thing to come out of her mouth, however, was, "But, I thought you liked Kari!"

"I did," he said.

Yolei looked confused, "You mean to tell me that because you nearly drowned, you're completely over Kari, and realize that you're in love with me?" She didn't know why she was reacting so strangely. 'This is what I wanted, right?' she thought, 'I wanted him to feel the same way.'

"No, I always felt like this about you. The only thing that drowning did is make me want to tell you. But-"

Yolei found herself getting almost angry. "Davis, you can't just fall in love with someone overni-"

He cut her off, "I never said _in_ love, Yolei. **You** think you're in love with everybody because you've never been in love before. But, when you're _really_ in love, you'll know."

Yolei was so dumbfounded, she dismissed her frustration. Davis had said something smart. No, Davis had said something almost _wise._ "So, if you aren't in love with me, what are you saying exactly?" she demanded.

"I'm saying I care about you, a lot," he announced.

"You care about me," she repeated, looking somewhat disappointed.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm not saying I don't like you, Yolei, but I know you like Ken, and Izzy, and even Michael and Willis. And I do still like Kari..." He wasn't lying. Even though his feelings for Kari had diminished, especially after having talked with Gatomon, they were still there. Besides, Davis knew that his friend had a roving eye and that they both were too young to get involved in a serious relationship. He sighed, "I just don't want to be like Matt and Sora," he finished. Yolei knew exactly what he was referring to when he said that. Even though they had only been going out for a couple of weeks, Sora and Matt's relationship was already turbulent.

Silence filled the room once again. "So, where do we go from here?" Yolei asked in a small voice.

"No where," the boy replied. "I think we should just stay friends, at least for now."

"Oh. I guess...you're right," she replied reluctantly. She knew his reasoning was sound. She also was impressed by how mature he sounded. 'Most of the time he only talks about things like video games, and soccer, and food, and of course, Kari,' she thought.

Yolei had always thought of Davis as dumb, obnoxious, insensitive, and impetuous. And when she had started to develop a crush on him, she hoped it would go away as quickly as possible. He was not her type; it was irrational for her to even feel the way she did. In fact, that was one of the reasons why she had been ruder towards him lately. 'That, and the fact that he deserves it for always gushing about Kari and ignoring me completely,' she thought. 'Never once has he said, _"Hey, Yolei, you look good in that,"_ or _"Have you done something different with your hair?"_ He's too dumb, obnoxious, and insensitive. But he _did_ just say he cared about me a lot,' Yolei reasoned, 'maybe he's not as clueless as he seems. Could there be another side to him? Hmm.'

But he was still too impetuous for her liking. 'Well,' she continued, 'two synonyms for impetuous are spontaneous and passionate. Davis spontaneous? Definitely. Davis passionate? Yeah.' She slowly roused from her thoughts to find the redhead still looking at her. "Why are you looking at me?" she asked.

"I wanted to know what you were thinking about," he stated.

"Um, you actually," she said.

"What about me?" he asked.

"Nothing, it's not important."

"You mean you don't want to tell me."

"Well, yeah, that's true also," she admitted.

"Why not?" he asked. "Is it something bad?"

"No," Yolei said. "It's good, kind of, but it's embarrassing."

"I won't get embarrassed," he replied.

"It's embarrassing to **me,**" she explained.

"Oh. Well, uh, you could write it down," he said, looking for a sheet of paper.

"Davis, don't be ridiculous." She glanced over at the wall clock to see that Ken's father would be back in about fifteen minutes to pick them up. 'Time sure does fly,' she thought. Frowning, she told Davis, "Ken's dad is coming to pick us up in fifteen minutes."

"Really? It doesn't seem like you've been here that long," Davis observed.

"Well, we told him to pick us up in an hour and a half. That was at four."

"Oh," he replied.

Yolei's thoughts drifted off again as she wondered how to bid her friend farewell. 'Usually, I'd just say something like, 'I'll see you in a few,' but it just doesn't seem to fit. I mean, he did drown yesterday. Besides, he just told me he likes me.' After racking her brain for more fitting things to say, and coming up dry, she just decided to say good-bye. She stood, stretched, then started towards the door. "Well, I'll see ya," she said.

"Okay," he said, fiddling with the borrowed Connect Four. "You know, you don't have to go _just_ yet. You do still have a few minutes," he added, looking at her hopefully.

"I know," she said, "but, I need to go find Ken anyway."

"Oh, okay then. Well, bye," he said, looking back at the game.

"Well, wait a sec," she spoke, turning back towards the boy.

Davis looked up. "Yeah?" he inquired.

'I better do this before I lose my nerve,' she thought. She walked over to the bed, watching him follow her every motion with his eyes. "I just wanted to say good-bye the right way," she explained. She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then hurried to the door.

"Hey!" Davis exclaimed. "What? Wait a second, Yolei!"

"Sorry, gotta go!" she called from the doorway. "You can call me later, 'kay?" With that, she disappeared, closing the door behind her and leaving a surprised Davis still sitting on the bed.

  
  


As Yolei walked down the walkway that overlooked the courtyard, she realized her heart was beating a mile a minute. 'I can't believe I actually did it,' she thought proudly. Her pace was a bit faster than normal, and she felt light on her feet. 'I can't believe I actually told him," she continued. "Well, I didn't actually say it, but he knew. 'Wait a second, how did he know?' she thought. 'It's not like I ever act...' She heard voices up ahead, and recognized one of them as Ken's. When she turned the corner, she saw Ken still talking to Lee, who was looking down at the fountain beneath them. They seemed to be in an animated discussion. When they saw her, they both looked up.

"Oh, Yolei, I was just going to go ask you if you were ready to leave," Ken commented.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"My dad will probably be here any minute," he told her. He turned to the older boy, "Lee, it was really nice talking to you."

Lee nodded. "Same here. And I guess I should be going, too. But, sometime I'd like to play you a game of one-on-one," he said, "especially if you don't mind losing."

Ken smiled. "Sure, anytime."

The taller blue-haired boy addressed Yolei, "It was nice seeing you again, and Davis. I hope he gets well soon."

"Oh he will, I'm sure," she said.

"Well, anyway, my car is parked in the back, so I'm going this way," he said, pointing to the stairs. He waved to Ken and Yolei as he started for the stairs, the opposite direction they were heading.

They waved back, and headed towards the front of the building.

"Lee's really nice, you know," Ken told Yolei.

"Yeah, I know," she agreed. "What did he mean by a game of one-on-one?"

"Well, he was the captain of his high school's soccer team for two years, but it started to interfere with his studies, so he quit. He's smart too. He's only nineteen, but he's already in his junior year of college."

"Really?" Yolei asked. "What's his major?"

"Computer-aided drafting and architectural design."

"Isn't that one of the things you said you might major in?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Hmm. It sounds like you guys have a lot in common."

Ken nodded. "He said I reminded him of an older version of his little brother."

"Really? How old is his brother?" she inquired.

"I think Lee said he's three years younger than me."

"Oh," said Yolei. The two continued down the corridor until they reached the elevator they had taken on their way up. Yolei's thoughts were still distracted by the conversation she and Davis had previously had. She pushed the button for the first floor and leaned against the wall.

"So, did Davis tell you?" Ken asked as they waited for the elevator's doors to open.

"Tell me?" Yolei questioned.

He turned to look Yolei straight in the face. "The thing he wanted to talk you about," he explained.

At that moment, it dawned on the girl that Ken already knew about Davis' feelings for her. 'So that's why he wanted me to go see him,' she thought to herself. 'I bet they both planned this whole thing out. Well, that explains why Ken and Lee never came back after getting those sodas. But, I guess that's only fair. After all, I told Kari before I told Davis.' She realized she still hadn't answered Ken's question. "Um, yeah," she said finally.

"So what did you say?" he inquired, as they stepped into the elevator.

"Well, we decided to just be friends for now," she replied. It wasn't that she didn't trust Ken. That was not why she hadn't told him every single word they had spoken. Rather, she felt that to keep things from being blown out of proportion, it would be better to not go into minute detail of their conversation. "We both agreed that, for now, it would be best to stay platonic." 'After all, most good relationships are based on friendship,' she thought, 'I mean, it worked for Jyou and Mimi.'

As they rode down to the first level, Ken asked, "Do you like him?"

She knew that if she objected to Ken's inquiries, he wouldn't ask her any more about what she and Davis had talked about. But at that moment, she wanted the world to know how she felt. She smiled before she spoke, remembering the quick kiss she had given him. "Yes, I do," she answered plainly. She found it odd that he responded with a look of relief.

"I was hoping you did," Ken mentioned, "for Davis' sake. He doesn't take rejection well. Actually, he doesn't even really acknowledge rejection." The doors to the elevator opened, and the two Digidestined stepped out.

Yolei nodded. Reject him? The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. As she and Ken walked towards the front of the building, she let out a small sigh. She remembered the words Davis had spoken earlier, _'...when you're really in love you'll know.'_ She eagerly awaited the day when she could say that she was in love with someone, and someone was in love with her, but she wanted it to be perfect. She wanted that someone to be that _special_ someone, not just anyone. If that meant she had to wait, then she would do just that. 'Kind of ironic that he's been right in front of me all along,' she thought. 'Well, Davis, why not? Maybe you.'

* * *

Well, that's it. The end. And this was supposed to be a short fic. ^_^; Oh well. I hope no one got too OOC. N-Ewayz, I do appreciate the reviews I aready have, and more are welcome. They don't have to be long, just tell me if you liked the ending, or if you thought it sucked.


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